Daily Movement Snacks: 2 Tools to Move More at Home

Today I’ll share two of my favorite ways to deck out your home for a more mobile lifestyle, without having to toss the couch. In the fitness industry we talk a lot about the big sexy movements, the best fat-burners, warrior-this, alpha-that. But we pay so little attention to micro-movements, those little snacks of movement spread throughout the day.

If you want to ditch nagging pains, improve mobility, and give your body a balanced diet of movement, you need to find ways to move more throughout the day.

What Are Micro-Movements?

Like food, we have both macro- and micronutrients when it comes to movement, and we need all of them to be a healthy, functional animal. Just as trace minerals play an important role in your body, trace movements make a big difference in your physical ability. These micro-movements determine your health and wellbeing.

So what are micro-movements? They include:

Shifting our weight

Changing positions

Small joint movements

Micro-movements are key to owning our big movements, like the squat, bench, and deadlift. They keep us working like a well-tuned instrument. If we ignore them during our day-to-day, we end up with a body that doesn’t quite work like a body.

Human beings are built to move for a huge amount of the day, in a variety of positions and circumstances. This huge spectrum of movement has now been consolidated into a few hour-long chunks during the week. We’re seeing an accumulation of evidence that no amount of exercise makes up for a sedentary lifestyle.1 No matter how intense it is, one hour of movement a day simply doesn’t make up for the other 23.

Take Control of Your Health

Here’s the big take home: your body is always changing, and it’s either improving or declining. It takes cues from the things you eat, the way you sit, the environment around you, and based on those factors, it adapts.

You have a tremendous amount of control of the way your body looks, feels, and moves. If you aren’t happy with it, it’s time to change things up. These two simple tools can have a tremendous impact on your overall health and function if put into daily practice.